williams



UNITED [STATES n'rnnr WILLIAM H. XVILLIAMS, :OF CINCINNATI, OHIO,ASSIGNOR- OF ONE-HALF TO PAUL MOHR, SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF PRODUClNQ AN ELECTROPLATlNG BATH AllD SALTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,359, dated October9, 1883.

Application filed Marc-h 8; 1883. (Specimens) V To all whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I WILLIAM. H. WILL- mns, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes ofProducing an Elect-roplating Bath and Salts; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as 10 will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto-make and use the same.

This invention has for its objects the production of salts or baths forelectro-deposits upon metals, as more fully hereinafter specified.

I 5 In carrying out my invention I take two pounds troy of dry clay orof oxide of aluminum, and two pounds of sugar and two gallons of water,and mix and stir the same, after which I let the mixture stand until theinsoluble portions have precipitated or settled. I then decant the clearportion into a suitable vessel, and add to the clear portion retainedtwo ounces of muriate of iron, sulphate of iron, or any other solublesalt of iron, and when the solution is effected,dissolve in the samethirtytwo ounces troy of tartaric acid. After this I add a strongsolution of caustic potash by de grees, stirring constantly,until thetartaric acid appears to be enhausted. I then let the mixv ture standuntil the precipitate formed has settled, after which I filter thesolution from it. The solid portion left is to be treated, ashereinafter specified, to form the salt. the salt above mentioned,however, in some instances I prefer to employa salt prepared as follows,viz: to take two pounds troy of dry elayor oxide of aluminum and twopounds stearic acid and mix the same together at a moderate heat, addingwater in small quantt ties at a time to the mixture, and constantlystirring the same during the operation until -neither excess of water oroil is perceptible, when the mass is emptied into two and a quartergallons of water and well stirred, and.

then the whole left to settle. Vt hen settled, the liquor is decantedcarefully from the sediment and treated with the iron, tartaric acid,and potash solutions in the proportions and manner before mentioned, andthe resulting precipitates treated as hereinafter described.

I now take the salt obtained from either of the Instead of aboveprocesses, or a tartrate of aluminum,

and treat the same as follows: to form the salt desired by dissolvingthirtyrtwo ounces troy of either one of said first-mentioned salts inone gallon of water with twenty-eight ounces troy of cyanide ofpotassium, and neutralize the same with thirty-two ounces of tartaricacid.

This operation should be performed in the open air, or under suchcircumstancesas to avoid the danger from the liberated cyanogen, whichmight result in the case of impurity of the materials used. Aprecipitate is produced by this last operation, and when the same hassettled the liquid is filtered from it and condensed by evaporation tothe-point of crystallization, which may be determined by withdrawing aportion and cooling it. Ithen withdraw the solution from the fire,allowit to cool and crystallize, separate the mother-liquor, and dry'thesalt upon a sieve. ,This constitutes the salt from which theplating-bath may be prepared. To prepare the bath I dissolve the salt inwater, using nine ounces of the salt to one gallon of water fordepositing on copper, and sixteen ounces of the salt to one gallon ofwater for plating iron, with one. ounce of cyanide of potassium for eachfour ounces of the plating-salt. The article to be coated with aluminumis then immersed in this bath and 0 connected with the negative pole ofa battery or other source of electricity, using as an anode a metalinsoluble in such sol ution-such as plat innm-or a piece of carbon maybe employed. I maintain the strength of the bath by par- 5 tiallyimmersing in'it a porous cup or "essel containing undissolved saltthatis to say, the salts resulting from the before-mentioned solutions setforth in the present application-or oxide of aluminum. I may, ifdesired, place 9 the anode in the porous vessel, and may use an anode ofaluminum, in which case the crystals will not be necessary.

If desired, the cyanide solution may be used directly as a bath withoutevaporation and crystallization, as above mentioned.

I do not desire to limit myself to the use of sugar or stearic acid asan agent in producing the solutions used in preparing the describedsalts, as any one of the alcohols or the acid derivatives thereof may beemployed in lieu thereof but these I deem the best; neither do I'desireto limit myself to the cyanide of potassium, as other compounds ofcyanogen With a base or radical may be employed in lieu thereof. Y

The process of electroplating by means of the bath and salts hereindescribed'will form the subjcctmatter of' a separate application.

I claim 1., As a new article of manufacture, the so1- IO ublecrystalline plating-salts or compound aluminum With a liquid, sugar,iron, tartaric acid, caustic potash, and cyanide of potassium, or theirequivalents, as herein described.

herein described, prepared from clay, sugar, iron, tartaric acid,caustic potash, and cyanide of potassium, or their describedequivalents, as hereinbefore described.

2. The process of producing a soluble crystalli'ne plating compound orsalt, consisting in treating clay or other material containing 3. Theprocess of producing a plating solution, consisting in mixing clay orother mataric acid, caustic potash, and cyanide of 0 potassium, .ortheir equivalents, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WM. H. WILLIAMS.

NVitnesses:

WARREN G. STONE, W. O. MURDooK.

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 286,859, granted October9, 1883, upon the application of William H. Williams, of Cincinnati,Ohio, for an improvement in the Process of Producing an ElectroplatingBath and Salts, were erroneously issued to the said William E. Williamsand Paul Mohr, as assignee of one-half interest there in, instead ofone-third interest; that the proper correction has been made in thefiles pertaining to the casein the Patent ffice; and that the grantshould be read with this correction therein to make it conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, eountersigned and sealed this 30th day of October, A. D. 1883.

[SEAL] M. L. JOSLYN,

Acting Secretary of the Interior. Oountersigned E. M. MARBLE,

Commissioner of Patents.

